Lucius's chest was still heaving as he leaned against the splintered door of his apartment, the echo of growls still ringing in his ears. Sweat clung to his brow, mixing with soot and the remnants of his once peaceful afternoon. His hand gripped the flaming sword tightly, its warmth seeping into his skin—familiar now, like it had always belonged to him.
The apartment around him was dimly lit, the bulb above flickering erratically, as if reacting to the raw energy he now radiated. The same crumbling wallpaper, the same cheap furniture, the same silence. But everything felt… different.
The glowing system interface hovered silently before him, pulsing with a faint red light.
WELCOME BACK, LUCIUS.THE HELLBOUND SYSTEM IS NOW FULLY ACTIVATED.WEAPON: HELLFIRE BLADE EQUIPPED.STATUS: HELLBOUND INITIATE.LEVEL: 1 | XP: 3/100
AVAILABLE UPGRADES:• Vitality +1• Strength +1• Fire Affinity +1
NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: SKILL TREE
Lucius stared at the interface, barely blinking.
This wasn't a dream.This wasn't some sick prank.This was real.
And if it was real, then those monsters—those hellhounds—were real too. That thought alone made his blood run cold. He turned his head slightly and caught a glimpse of himself in the cracked bathroom mirror across the hall.
He barely recognized the boy staring back.
A lanky figure with pale skin, wild black hair, and dark under-eye shadows. Fifteen years old, born into a world that had never offered him much of anything. Orphaned at six. Survived foster homes and school like a ghost no one cared to see. His life had been a cycle of quiet days and quieter nights. Until now.
Lucius wiped the sweat from his brow and focused on the glowing panel again.
"Let's start with… Fire Affinity."
The second he selected it, a warm pulse traveled through his arm, surging into his chest like a jolt of adrenaline. The sword in his hand flared brighter, the flames licking the air around the blade as if responding to his soul.
FIRE AFFINITY +1NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: FLAME STRIKE (LV.1)Channel a concentrated burst of fire through your weapon. Cooldown: 5 seconds.
He exhaled sharply. This was insane—but if it kept him alive, he'd roll with it.
A sudden thud shook the floor beneath him.
Lucius froze.
Another thud.
This time louder—closer.
The walls trembled faintly as something massive moved outside the building. The rattling glass and the faint scent of sulfur told him what he already feared.
They were back.
And this time, they brought something bigger.
Lucius sprinted to his window and cautiously peeked through the blinds.
Down in the street, two hulking figures prowled the pavement. Bigger than the previous hounds. Twice as large, pitch-black with molten cracks glowing along their hides like living volcanoes. One of them had three heads. The other dragged jagged chains behind it that sparked with every step.
✦✦ NEW ENEMIES DETECTED: ALPHA-CLASS HELLHOUNDSWARNING: LEVEL 8 RECOMMENDED. CURRENT LEVEL: 1. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
Lucius backed away slowly, pulse racing.
"I'm so dead."
He glanced at the sword, its flame dimming slightly as if bracing for what was to come.
The system pinged again.
✦ HELLBOUND QUEST UNLOCKEDSurvive the Alpha-class Hellhounds• Objective: Defeat or escape the two Alpha-class Hellhounds.• Reward: Hellbound XP +50 |• Failure: Death
A part of him screamed to hide. But another part… deeper, older, newly awakened… told him to fight.
Lucius snapped his fingers again, and the interface disappeared. He took a deep breath, sheathed the sword in fire at his side, and stepped back out onto the hallway.
Outside, the air was thick with smoke and heat. The walls of the apartment complex shuddered again as one of the creatures slammed into a dumpster. Flames erupted around it. Lucius emerged cautiously, ducking low behind a car.
"Okay… okay, Lucky. You got this," he whispered to himself. "You got fire powers now. You've seen anime. Just… channel the main character energy."
The two beasts turned toward him, eyes burning like twin furnaces. One let out a roar that cracked the pavement. The other lunged forward—
Lucius rolled to the side, heart thundering, and swung his blade.
"Flame Strike!"
The sword ignited like a flare, and a focused blast of fire exploded from the tip, crashing into the beast's shoulder. It staggered back with a snarl.
The other hellhound leapt toward him. Lucius raised the blade, blocking just in time as molten teeth scraped against steel. Sparks flew. His knees buckled. He kicked out and rolled away, panting.
Too fast. Too strong.
He wasn't ready.
But the system chimed again.
COMBAT BONUS: FIRST HIT ON ELITE ENEMY – +10 XPLEVEL UP: LEVEL 2NEW UPGRADE AVAILABLE: SPEED +1
Lucius grinned through the panic.
"Alright then—let's dance."
He dashed left, barely dodging a burning paw swipe, then twisted under the next hound's leap. He jumped onto a bench, backflipped off the railing, and launched another Flame Strike mid-air. The projectile burst through the first hound's chest—obliterating it in a fiery explosion.
Smoke and blood filled the air.
The remaining beast roared in rage.
✦ ENEMY STATUS: ANGERED – DAMAGE BOOST x2 FOR 30 SECONDS
"Cool," Lucius muttered. "I pissed it off."
The hound charged like a freight train. Lucius dove behind a mailbox, barely avoiding the blast. He snapped his fingers again, and the interface returned.
"Speed +1, Strength +1—confirm both!"
Power flooded his limbs, just enough to give him a second wind. He gripped the sword and ran head-on toward the final hound.
It opened its mouth, lava dripping between its fangs, and lunged—
Lucius dropped to his knees, sliding under it, then stabbed upward into its gut. The blade sank deep. Fire erupted from within the beast like a furnace explosion. With a howl, the hound disintegrated, scattering into embers.
Lucius collapsed onto the pavement, coughing, bruised, but alive.
● QUEST COMPLETE● XP GAINED: 50● LEVEL UP: 3● REWARD UNLOCKED: SYSTEM SKILL TREE
NEW PASSIVE: FIRE RESISTANCE (LV.1)NEW SKILL: INFERNAL DASH – Dash forward in a burst of flames. 3-second cooldown.
Lucius rolled onto his back, panting, laughing between coughs.
"Okay... okay... maybe this system isn't so bad."
Back in his apartment, Lucius sat on the floor, shirt torn, hands shaking from the fight.
The interface pulsed again.
SYSTEM NOTE:As a Hellbound Chosen, your journey begins now. You are one of seven marked by the flames of the Abyss to reclaim the balance between worlds.First questline unlocked: "THE SEVEN FLAMES."
Main Quest: Seek the Hellstone Shrine.• Location: Unknown• Objective: Awaken the Flame Core• Rewards: ???
Hellbound System Tips:– Fighting stronger enemies gives better XP– Your body will evolve with every level– Death is permanent. Stay sharp.
Lucius leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.
There was no going back to normal.
Whatever this was, it had chosen him. And if he wanted to survive—if he wanted answers—he had to go deeper.
Into hell, into fire, into power.
Into everything that had been buried in his blood.
He was Lucius.
Hellborn. Chosen.
And this was just the beginning.